1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for managing flexible lines or flexible elongate elements such as a wire, tube, individual fiber, ribbon fiber, or cable with fixed ends.
2. Related Art
When terminating optical connectors or other devices to optical fiber cables, it is necessary to splice the optical fibers together. Since excess fiber length is needed to perform fusion splicing, an excess of fiber is left between the devices after splicing. The excess fiber length has to be managed. Since both ends of the fiber are fixed or inaccessible, coiling the fiber is difficult and potentially damaging due to the torque which builds up with each loop. Fiber is also susceptible to optical measurement losses or shortened life if it is wound to a radius smaller than the minimum fiber bend radius. It is known to wind fiber in a figure eight pattern, relieving the torque as you wind first in one direction then in the other. One known fiber management system is two spaced, coplanar spools between the fixed fiber ends. Fiber is wound in a figure eight pattern on the spools, while maintaining a radius greater than the minimum fiber bend radius. The two side-by-side spools take up additional space between the optical devices.
Similar problems are encountered in managing lengths of other lines such as flexible wires or tubes with fixed ends. Simply coiling such lines can also be difficult due to torque build up.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and method that reduces or overcomes these significant problems found in the known systems as described above.